Once again Decision Review System (DRS) is at the centre of controversy again. This time, it is not for third umpire's controversial decision due to lack of substantial evidence but the time allowed to opt for it. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) skipper Kane Williamson took his sweet time to opt for DRS because of which he has been drawing flak on social media.
The incident happened in the fifth over of Punjab Kings’ (PBKS). There was a half-hearted appeal for caught-behind from bowler T Natarajan. However, wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran was confident that the ball had hit the bat before he collected it in his gloves. Unsure about the faint edge off Prabhsimran Singh’s bat, Williamson took too much time to make a decision as his signal for DRS came right after the clock hit zero seconds.
According to the rules, the captain gets 15 seconds to make up his mind but the Kiwi skipper took slightly more time than allowed. As soon as the umpire signalled the third umpire, Jonny Bairstow protested against it as he saw the timer get over on the big screen.
Bairstow had a few words with the umpire Rohan Pandit as he believed that Williamson went for DRS after the 15-second timer. However, the umpire pointed towards his earpiece and said that the call was legitimate.
As a result, the on-field call was overturned and Prabhsimran was given out. The ultraedge showed that there was a faint edge when the ball passed the bat. The 21-year-old, who opened the innings in absence of an injured Mayank Agarwal, scored 14 runs from 11 deliveries. Prabhsimran became Natarajan’s first victim of the day at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai.
In Agarwal’s absence, Shikhar Dhawan captained PBKS against SRH. Dhawan fell few runs short of becoming the second batter to breach the 6,000-run mark in Indian Premier League (IPL) history after Virat Kohli. The left-handed opener scored eight runs from 11 deliveries before getting out to Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the third over.
